Safe Routes to School grant to protect 'walking school bus' in Garwood

Photo courtesy of Lincoln School
Participants in the "walking school bus" at Lincoln School in Garwood, which began three years ago in an attempt to encourage more students to walk to school, will soon have some added protection, thanks to a $40,000 Safe Routes to School grant that was recently awarded to the borough. The grant will be used to purchase two solar-powered LED flashing pedestrian signals to be installed on Walnut Street, a radar message display trailer, bicycle helmets and pedometers for kids who bike and walk to school, as well as prizes, awards and other incentives for participation in the walking school bus program.

GARWOOD--When students in Garwood make their way to school as part of the "walking school bus", they'll have some added safety thanks to the borough's recent award of a Safe Routes to School grant.

According to Chief of Police William Legg, the Garwood Police Department received a $40,000 grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. The grant will be used to purchase two solar-powered LED flashing pedestrian signals to be installed on Walnut Street, a radar message display trailer, bicycle helmets and pedometers for kids who bike and walk to school, as well as prizes, awards and other incentives for participation in the walking school bus program.

Legg, who credited Officer Jim Wright for preparing and submitting the grant, said that on a busy thoroughfare like Walnut Street the flashing pedestrian signals will make drivers more mindful that children are present as they approach the school from both directions.
"We want to give people ample warning that they're entering a school zone," Wright said.

Wright began his efforts with the grant about two years ago when he learned of the walking school bus that shuttled children to the Lincoln School at Walnut Street and Second Avenue.
The brain child of physical education teacher Virginia Hansen, the walking school bus began three years ago in an attempt to encourage more students to walk to school. The program is for first through eighth grade students and has two walking buses that run along Second Avenue on the north side and Center Street on the south side of the borough, picking up students at every block.

Hansen, who retired in February after teaching for 36 years in Garwood, served as the "driver" of the bus for the last time on Feb. 28.

According to Karen McCarrick, supervisor of special services for Garwood Schools, between 55 and 60 students participate in the walking school bus on a given day. While the bus shuts down for the month of January and the first half of February, McCarrick said the students enjoy the walk to school with friends.

"We walk when we can," she explained, adding that the bus doesn't operate in extreme cold or inclement weather.

McCarrick explained that the added safety precautions will help the students, and the teachers who escort them on the walk to school, feel safe, and the prizes for the participants will also be appreciated.

"The students now seem like they walk inherently, but a little incentive is always a nice benefit," she added.

In addition to helping kids cross safely at busy intersections, Wright said the Safe Routes to School grant will also help to combat speeding throughout the borough with the purchase of a radar message display trailer.

By positioning the trailer on roads around the borough, the Garwood Police Department can alert drivers to slow down when they near the borough's two schools.

"Hopefully we can utilize these tools to remind everyone to drive carefully and watch their speeds," Wright said.

Leslie Murray is a staff writer for The Chronicle. She can be reached at (908)464-5214 or lmurray@njnpublishing.com.